“Cricket’s carbon footprint is an opportunity”

His Cricket for Climate Foundation aims to make cricket in Australia carbon neutral and plans to expand globally.

< p class="" data-reactid=".1viwfdmc6p6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-5">"Cricket is a weather-dependent sport," Cummins told BBC Sport. p>

"We sometimes play in conditions where it's 50 degrees and you physically can't play near the 'where you want to be, and we've had games canceled due to a bushfire in the middle of summer.

"We are also a sport that is subject to change by a drop of rain. And the nature of international cricket means you travel around the world a lot, your carbon footprint is quite high, so that's always in the back of your mind."

Air travel is one of international cricket's greatest contributions to climate change.

At the next World Cup in India, for example, the England men will play nine group stage matches in eight different cities, all involving internal flights.

Players don't have a say in the sports schedule, but Cummins stressed the importance of using his platform to advocate for changes in other areas of life .

"Cricket has a huge footprint, but with that comes a huge opportunity," he said. said Cummins, who will lead Australia at the World Cup.

"People are turning to sport for their leadership and it can bring people together. You will always meet people who prefer to bury their heads in the sand, but that's okay. I hope we can change minds and show that there is a path forward.

" Flying, unfortunately, is a side-effect of our job, but I try to make up for every trip I make each year. No one will ever be perfect, but we can all do something."

It was reported last month that the world governing body, the International Cricket Council, was working on a sustainability plan for the World Cup. world.

'I was in an ice bath after two overs'

Reports on the impact of climate change on sport predict that cricket will be hit hardest among those using a field.

And the game already sees the effects of various weather patterns.

Cummins said a 2017 tour of Bangladesh took place in the most eye-opening conditions that he knew.

"We recently played a test match in Delhi where we basically wore masks to practice because the "The air was so dense," he said.

"But in Bangladesh, the humidity was close to 100%, around 40 degrees, and you just can't function.

"Like consider myself to be in great shape and I can bowl six, seven, eight overs in one go. But after two overs I had to leave the field and jump into an ice bath, it was so extreme."

Through Cricket for Climate, Cummins has helped many grassroots cricket clubs in Australia reduce their carbon emissions by installing solar panels and reducing their gas consumption.

Despite the positive steps taken in his homeland, he acknowledges that supporting less developed countries could become part of the foundation's mandate as it grows.

< p class="" data- reactid=".1viwfdmc6p6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-25">"We are lucky in Australia that we can afford to install solar panels on our roofs and they will work for us with all the sunshine we get, but other countries are going to face different problems," he said.